(San Jose) The San Jose Sharks helped break another glass ceiling in the National Hockey League on Tuesday. They named Mike Grier as the team’s general manager.
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
Updated at 4:47 p.m.
The former NHL winger thus becomes the first black to occupy this position in the history of the Bettman circuit.
“I’m very proud of that,” Grier said. From my time as a player, I’ve seen the league diversify, with more black players, more women, and more minorities in the offices. I am happy to see him. For me, my job is to be as good as possible for the Sharks, and hopefully that can open the door for other diverse leaders to lead a team into the future. »
Grier was very emotional when he thanked his former teammates, including Chris Drury, his former boss at the New York Rangers, who strongly supported his candidacy. The new CEO also highlighted the support of his father (“he showed me how to treat people”), and his family “through the ups and downs of my career. »
Grier also spoke of San Jose, a town a few miles from San Francisco, as a place where “he and his family wanted to call home” again. He spent three seasons there as a player, between 2006 and 2009.
Sharks president Jonathan Becher said the appointment was the culmination of a process of nearly 200 hours of interviews. “There is one quality that can separate a candidate from others: the strength of character to lead through difficult times. Mike has that strength of character. He is a leader. Mike has separated himself from the crowd because of the culture he wants to establish, on the ice and off the ice. He is the personification of our principle, “say what you think, and do what you say”. »
Grier succeeds Doug Wilson, who left office for health reasons last April. The GM had been there for the past 19 seasons. His deputy Joe Will had since taken over.
Detroit-born Mike Grier played for the Oilers, Capitals, Sabers and Sharks during his 15-year NHL career. He has 162 goals and 383 points in 1,060 games.
The Blues’ 1993 draft pick (219th overall) most recently served as an assistant to Devils head coaches John Hynes and Alain Nasreddine from 2018-20 in New Jersey. He was then appointed advisor to hockey operations by the New York Rangers in May 2021. He was also a scout for the Blackhawks between 2014 and 2018.
The barrier-breaking hire comes less than a week after interim general manager Joe Will announced that head coach Bob Boughner and three of his assistants would not be returning next season. Will explained that he had made this decision two months after the end of the season to give free rein to the new general manager.
Grier’s task will be difficult in San Jose, rebuilding a team that missed the playoffs in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Grier will have to get to work quickly, hire a new coach and take care of the draft Thursday and Friday and the free agent market next week. The Sharks have the 11th pick in the first round.
Grier comes from a family of successful sports leaders. His brother, Chris, is the general manager of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and his father, Bobby, was a longtime coach and board member for the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
Grier says he’s been preparing for the role since he was 10, due to discussions he had with his brother and father. “I wanted to talk about football; they wanted to talk about hockey. I rely heavily on them. They have a different perspective because of the sports, but I trust their views. »
“Growing up, we used to talk about the challenges of setting up training and stuff like that at meals,” he recalled.